5fishlimit

I think most people start with a MH/F as their first casting rod, and then start to specialize by techniques afterwards. That's what I did, and see others here do, too.

While I have not fished the same line of rods with a 1 pc vs a 2 pc I don't believe there is a noticeable difference if the material used for the blank is of a good quality. I may be wrong, but the 2 pc I just got is plenty sensitive compared to other 1 pc rods I own.

I had a similar concern with a 2 pc Volkey I got, but after a few casts my concerns disappeared. You got yourself a nice rod. Now get the plastic wrapping off the handle, and get it out on the water!

Just got a MH/F Volkey, and added my Fuego to it. Fished with it right after work during the last 30 minutes of sunlight that remained. It's the 2 piece version that I picked up in the flea market from pondasassin. The finish on these rods is really nice! I can understand all the buzz about them as of late here with many of the members!

I love a fluke on a shakey head in the spring and fall around docks, and the edges of weed lines.

You made a fine choice. I got the same rod recently, and love it. The tip is soft and can provide movement to your bait without picking the weight off the bottom. Granted if you are fishing shallower water (less than 20') the lighter powered version may have been better. I myself don't use less than 3/8 oz weight ever, so it works great for me. You should be happy with your choice!

I can't comment in regards to the new Fuego baitcasters, but I just got the new Fuego spinning reel and I really like it. I bought the 2000 size, and have 15# braid on it. It is a very good caster, and very smooth. The drag performs well, and had no difficulty bringing up 3 and 4 pound Lake Erie smallmouth from 20'+ of water. I have primarily used Pfleuger Presidents in the past, and am very satisfied with my purchase. I have my sights set on another one for a shakey head setup I am looking to put together by the springtime.

I just started using the 15# Kanzen on my dropshot setup. So far so good. I don't think it will replace Smackdown on any of my other rods, but I haven't seen a reason to find it awful either.

Pro Blue.

If the colors confuse you there is a site that helped with understand what Megabass calls their colors. http://tinyurl.com/q4qbdyo

Dave, first of all, as a fellow Ohioan, thank you for what you are doing for the kids. I think keeping them on the reservoirs and small lakes is the way to go at least for now. While the prospect of fishing on Lake Erie is exciting it can be a very dangerous body of water if you do not know what you are doing. Also, without knowing where to go it can be a fruitless endeavor. A great starting point for Lake Erie is East Harbor State Park. You won't find the monster smallmouth bass, but the size and numbers of green fish is a lot of fun. I agree with what Amarley said about narrowing down your tackle based upon where you are fishing. Some lures and colors work better on one body of water over another. Also, time of the year is key, too. What lakes and reservoir's are the kids fishing? Do you ever take them to New London reservoir? It's a great smallmouth lake, and has very easy shoreline to navigate.

Put the Daiwa PXL-R on my new LTB 68MXF. I added blue dress up parts from Hedgehog Studios. And, as shown in a previous post, my new dropshot setup. Love this combo so much!

I use mine a lot for Zoom finesse worms with 1/16 tungsten weight, and have also been throwing the Jackall Flick Shake in 4.8" with the 1/16th oz flick shake hooks. I have mine on a St. Croix M/XF rod using 30# Maxima braid. It is a great combo to hold all day long. Very light and comfortable.

That silence should be deafening in regards to your choice.

If you have the pass through back seats use that opening, or if you can fold your rear seat down then that is also a good option. If neither of those work for you then try reclining the passenger seat all the way down, and put the butt end of your rod at the passenger floor and the tips facing the back window. I can easily fit a 7'6" rod in my car that way.

I have no idea. I never have, and don't see the need. What gain is there by do so?

I've using a St. Croix Premier ML/F rod and a 20 size Pfleuger President spinning reel for my dropshot setup since the day I decided to learn it. It has always done well for me on Lake Erie. Didn't really need to upgrade, but things have been going well for me lately so I decided to have a "treat yo self" moment. Picked up the new Fuego spinning reel in 2000 size. Spooled up with 15# Seagaur Kanzen (I can blame the recent thread on Kanzen for the purchase). The rod is a E6X 822S DSR, dropshot rod. Mag medium/XF. I am stunned at the way it feels. It balances right at the end of the cork where my finger rest. The combo fits perfectly for my hands. I think the E6X is a terrific line of rods, and if you're on the fence about getting one I don't think you will be disappointed. I will be taking this with on Sunday for a small club tournament. I'll report back with some more impressions, and hopefully football sized smallies to share.

Give the Rod Sock Pro a serious consideration. Mine just showed up with todays UPS delivery, and I am extremely happy with them. I really like that not only is the tip end finished with the heat shrink, but the open end has about a 2" length of plastic instead of the mesh - which will really help when dealing with treble hooks. I just placed another order on TW to replace all of my other brands.

If you are able to do so I would suggest you try out the demo program through TW. It helped me make some decisions that lead to more satisfaction than disappointments.

I have no expectations of them floating, but thanks for the heads up. The only type that I have ever seen "float" are the neoprene type. All the others seem to sink pretty quickly.

I have tried several brands as well to varying degrees of success. I have some of the Rod Sock Pro's on their way from an order I made. I like the shrink wrapped ends like that more than a sewn end types. As for length the thing I look for is for it to be just above the hook keeper. That might mean ordering a size smaller than needed.

You are welcome.

I was doing good for a while, but the tackle monkey got me really good yesterday and today. Yesterday I picked up a St. Croix LTB 6'8" M/FF to pair with my Daiwa PXL-R. (I also had to order the sapphire blue dress up parts from Hedgehog Studio) I also grabbed a Loomis E6X Dropshot rod in the Mag Med. Then today I ordered a bunch of new reel covers and rod sleeves. While ordering those I also ordered the new Daiwa Fuego spinning reel in the 2000 size. Now the misery of waiting for the deliveries!

So, what did you get?

Here's a simple solution. You can order a 25ct bag of 4x7x2.5 bearing on ebay for only $11.95, with free shipping. Then you can add the bearings missing to all of your Daiwa reels.